Figure 1.-- This is a Japanese photograph captured during the Pacific War, we believe in the Philippines (based on other photos obtained). We see Japanese troops being entertained, their version of a USO Show. The Japanese flag is in the center of the stage. The performers are geisha girls. You can make out the Japanese soldiers in their soft caps. Notice the children allowed to go up to the stage. They look to be Japanese. There were some Japanese Filipinos, but these look to be families that officials and businessmen brought to the Philippines. Click on thimage for a close up.

The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters (IGH) pre-positioned over ten divisions on Formosa (Taiwan) for the attacks to follow the Pearl Harbor attack. The Japanese Fourteenth Army was formed (November 6, 1941). It was part of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group and given the assignment of invading and occupying the Philippines. It would be tghe primary Japanese formation that woulf fight the battes in 1942 and 1944-45 as well as conduct the occupation. Formosa is separated from Luzon by the Luzon Straits (about 200 km wide). Luzon, the northern-most and most important of the Philippine islands. Japanese attack on the Philippines began with air strikes from Formosa. The Japanaese Fourteenth Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma invaded Luzon. The 14th Army had two first-line infantry divisions, the 16th (Susumu Morioka) and 48th Divisions (Yuitsu Tsuchihashi), to invade and conquer Luzon, and the 65th Brigade as a garrison force. There was also the 56th Division. The Fourteenth Army had the 4th and 7th Tank Regiments, five field artillery battalions, five anti-aircraft artillery battalions, four antitank companies, and a mortar battalion. A strong group of combat engineer and bridging units was part of the 14th Army's support forces. The Americans and Phiipinos withdrew into the Bataan Peninsula, hopevto hold out there until reinforcements arrived from merica. Gen. MacAcrthur's mimmanagement of the campaign meant that supplies were not pre-positioned in Bataan which eventully doomed the forces there. The invasion went so well that the IGH detached the 48th Division and reassigned it to the Sixteenth Army for the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies. This weakened the Japanese Army and was a factor in the Americans resisting as long as they did. They were replaced by the 4th Division. General Homma protested the shifted and requested more reinforcements. IGH sent the 10th Independent Garrison to the Philippines and the 21st Division Infantry Group as well as the First Field Artillery Headquarters to command the field artillery units. The 4th and 7th Tank Regiments were part of the Fourtteenth Army as well as 1st, 8th, and 16th Field Artillery Regiments and the 9th Independent Field Artillery Battalion. It was the Fourteenth Army was responsible for the infamous Bataan Death March after the surrender of surviving American and Filipino forces in Bataan The 65th Independent Brigade was accused of the Mariveles Massacre. [Farolan] The Foutteenth Army came under the direct control of Imperial General Headquarters (June 1942). Serious complications followed. The Southern Expeditionary Army Group from its headquarters in Saigon continued to issue orders. These orders at times conflicted with those of the IGH in Tokyo and dirupted the command situation. Gen. Homma partly as a result encounteted problems with junior officers who used the confusing command situation to issue orders without his approval and even countermand orders with which they disagreed. [Toland] Homma was criticized in Tokyo and was replaced by Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka (August 1942). The 4th Divsiin was assigned to the Fourteenth Army. The 30th Division was assigned to Mindanao. For 2 years these forces battle against light, but persistent resistance actions. They were also used to seize rice and other food commodities from the country side without payment. The result was that overall farm production declined. Farmers wrenot about to grow cropd only to have the Japanese Army seize it. Food shortahes developed in the Philippines and were becoming serious (1944). Japanese defeats in the Central Pacific and New Guinea meant that the Americans were closing in on the Philippines (1943-44). The Fourteenth Army began to prepare for an American invasion. This time they would face well eqquipped and supplies forces. The Fourteenth Army restructured its independent infantry brigades and reserves to form the new 100th Division, 102nd Division, 103rd Division, and 105th Divisions. The Fourtenth Army reverted to the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group (March 1944). It became the Fourteenth Area Army (July 1944). The IGH moved two more divisions as reinforcements, the 8th and 10th Division (August 1944). The Japanese 35th Army was activated (August 1944). It was made up of garison forces on Mindamao amd the Vicayas. Yjy were mostly fed into the calderon of the Leyte battle. While actived as an Army command, it was under the overall control of the 14th Army Group commander. General Tomoyuki Yamashita assumed the command of the 14th Area Army just before the Americans struck (October 1944). He was known as the Tiger of Malaya and was the most respected commander in the Japanese Army. In the resuting battles of the Philippines campaign (1944�45) the Japanese suffered over 350,000 casualties, including virtually all of the 18,000 men of the 16th Infantry Division that fought the Battle of Leyte. The 14th Area Army was responsible for the Palawan Massacre (December 14, 1944).

Pre-Invasion Preparations (1941)

The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters (IGH) pre-positioned over ten divisions on Formosa (Taiwan) for the attacks to follow the Pearl Harbor attack. The Japanese Fourteenth Army was formed (November 6, 1941). It was part of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group and given the assignment of invading and occupying the Philippines. It would be tghe primary Japanese formation that woulf fight the battes in 1942 and 1944-45 as well as conduct the occupation. Formosa is separated from Luzon by the Luzon Straits (about 200 km wide). Luzon, the northern-most and most important of the Philippine islands. Invasion forces were also being asemnled in Indo China (South Vietnam), but the 14th Army assignd to invade the Philippines came from Formosa.

Japanese Invasion (1941-42)

Japanese attack on the Philippines began with air strikes from Formosa. The Japanaese Fourteenth Army under the command of Lt. Gen. Masaharu Homma invaded Luzon. The 14th Army had two first-line infantry divisions, the 16th (Susumu Morioka) and 48th Divisions (Yuitsu Tsuchihashi), to invade and conquer Luzon, and the 65th Brigade as a garrison force. There was also the 56th Division. The Fourteenth Army had the 4th and 7th Tank Regiments, five field artillery battalions, five anti-aircraft artillery battalions, four antitank companies, and a mortar battalion. A strong group of combat engineer and bridging units was part of the 14th Army's support forces. The Americans and Phiipinos withdrew into the Bataan Peninsula, hopevto hold out there until reinforcements arrived from merica. Gen. MacAcrthur's mimmanagement of the campaign meant that supplies were not pre-positioned in Bataan which eventully doomed the forces there. The invasion went so well that the IGH detached the 48th Division and reassigned it to the Sixteenth Army for the invasion of the Netherlands East Indies. This weakened the Japanese Army and was a factor in the Americans resisting as long as they did. They were replaced by the 4th Division. General Homma protested the shifted and requested more reinforcements. IGH sent the 10th Independent Garrison to the Philippines and the 21st Division Infantry Group as well as the First Field Artillery Headquarters to command the field artillery units. The 4th and 7th Tank Regiments were part of the Fourtteenth Army as well as 1st, 8th, and 16th Field Artillery Regiments and the 9th Independent Field Artillery Battalion. It was the Fourteenth Army was responsible for the infamous Bataan Death March after the surrender of surviving American and Filipino forces in Bataan The 65th Independent Brigade was accused of the Mariveles Massacre. [Farolan]

Occupation Duties

The Fourteenth Army came under the direct control of Imperial General Headquarters (June 1942). Serious complications followed. The Southern Expeditionary Army Group from its headquarters in Saigon continued to issue orders. These orders at times conflicted with those of the IGH in Tokyo and dirupted the command situation. Gen. Homma partly as a result encounteted problems with junior officers who used the confusing command situation to issue orders without his approval and even countermand orders with which they disagreed. [Toland] Homma was criticized in Tokyo and was replaced by Lieutenant General Shizuichi Tanaka (August 1942). The 4th Divsion was assigned to the Fourteenth Army. The 30th Division was assigned to Mindanao. For 2 years these forces battle against light, but persistent resistance actions. They were also used to obtain food from Filipino farmers. As in other areas. The Japanese did not send food and many other non-military supplies to their soldiers. They were expected to obtain sucg supplies in the countries they occupied. In addition Japanese occupation policies were for each area occupied to become self sufficent. While the Phillipoenes was self sufficent overall in food, it was not self suffucent in rice. It imported rice from Soitheaast Asia. This stopped with the Japanese invasion and occupation. And as a result, prices for rice in Manila and other cities soon began rising out of control. Rice cost6-7 pesos per cavan (56 kg) before the Japanese invasion. By the time thed Americans liberated the country, it had raeched 12,000 pesos. [Collingham, p. 243.] The countryside fared better, fir a while. The rice-growing areas of central Luzon fared well (1942-late-43). The Hukbalahap guerillas not bonnloynkept the Japanese out, but also landlords collecting rents. The Japanese kept to the main roads and towns. Good weather ceven briught bumper crops. As reinforments arrived and the Japanese were also affected by food shortages, the Army patrols began going deeper into the comtryside (late-1943). One report from the guerillas describes what happened. The Japanese 'raped, tortured, bayonetted, burned houses and crops, drive off animals and carried away clothing, food, even the agricultural equipment. In their wake they left hunger, malnutrition and starvatiin." [Kerkvlier, p. 311.] seize rice and other food commodities from the country side without payment. The result was that overall farm production declined. Farmers were not about to grow crops only to have the Japanese Army seize it. Food shortahes developed in the Philippines and were becoming serious (1944).

American Liberation (1944-45)

Japanese defeats in the Central Pacific and New Guinea meant that the Americans were closing in on the Philippines (1943-44). The Fourteenth Army began to prepare for an American invasion. This time they would face well eqquipped and supplies forces. The Fourteenth Army restructured its independent infantry brigades and reserves to form the new 100th Division, 102nd Division, 103rd Division, and 105th Divisions. The Fourtenth Army reverted to the control of the Southern Expeditionary Army Group (March 1944). It became the Fourteenth Area Army (July 1944). The IGH moved two more divisions as reinforcements, the 8th and 10th Division (August 1944). The Japanese 35th Army was activated (August 1944). It was made up of garison forces on Mindamao amd the Vicayas. Yjy were mostly fed into the calderon of the Leyte battle. While actived as an Army command, it was under the overall control of the 14th Army Group commander. General Tomoyuki Yamashita assumed the command of the 14th Area Army just before the Americans struck (October 1944). He was known as the Tiger of Malaya and was the most respected commander in the Japanese Army. In the resuting battles of the Philippines campaign (1944�45) the Japanese suffered over 350,000 casualties, including virtually all of the 18,000 men of the 16th Infantry Division that fought the Battle of Leyte. The 14th Area Army was responsible for the Palawan Massacre (December 14, 1944). The horrendous Japanese actions in Manila were mostly conducted by Japaanese Marines and other naval personnel in violation of Gen. Yamashita's orders.

Sources

Collingham, Lizzie. The Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food (Penguin Books: New York, 1962), 634p.

Kerkvliet, Benedict and J. Tria. "Withdrawl and resistance, tge political significance of food, agriculture and how people loved during the Japanese occupation in the Philippines," in Bernd Martin and Alan S. Mifward, eds. Agricultyre and Food Supply in the Second World War (Land wirtschaftund Ver sorgung im Zweiten Wektkrieg) *ScrioptaMercaturae Verlag: Os tfildern, 1985), pp297-315).

Created: 5:10 AM 10/4/2019
Last updated: 5:10 AM 10/4/2019